Details disclosed in this section merely offers background information regarding embodiments of the present invention. No determination has been made, and no assertion is made, as to whether any of the below might be applicable as prior art with regard to the present invention.
With the remarkable development of a mobile communication network and related technologies, today's mobile communication devices have outgrown a typical category of simple communication devices or information providing devices and are now evolving into total entertainment devices.
Such a mobile communication device often has a function of short range communication such as NFC (Near Field Communication) or Bluetooth as well as a traditional communication function using a mobile communication network.
By the way, NFC covers a relatively narrower communication range and needs an additional wireless chip, whereas Bluetooth covers a relatively wider communication range and is inherently applied to most of recent mobile communication devices. In addition, a great variety of communication services using Bluetooth are developed and launched.
Meanwhile, a new service for offering various kinds of information to a user's mobile device by utilizing a beacon based on Bluetooth communication is being developed and studied.
For example, a beacon-based content provision service is used. This service is based on a beacon device installed in a store. The beacon device emits a periodic signal by using an electromagnetic wave or sound and thereby triggers a specific application of a neighboring mobile communication device. Using this service, content providers may provide a great variety of contents associated with publicity, advertisement, finance, banking, payment, game, and the like.
As the utilization of such beacon services increases, stores that offer their specific beacon services through beacon devices equipped therein are also increasing.
Meanwhile, in a certain area full of many stores, e.g., a shopping mall, a department store, a shopping street, etc., an indoor navigation service is useful to smart phone users who want to obtain information about an optimal travel path to a desired store.
This indoor navigation service, however, requires much cost of construction. Therefore, a way of providing another indoor navigation service by utilizing the existing beacon devices is needed.
Additionally, a typical beacon service is merely and forcedly offered to a user's terminal device within a particular area such as a shopping mall, a department store, or a shopping street. This may often add to a user's confusion as to what to select from among numerous beacon services offered randomly. Further, even though a desired beacon service is received, a user may have some difficulty in knowing the location of available store.
Therefore, techniques to extract a recommendable store in view of collected marketing information of stores and to induce a user to use a desired beacon service through an indoor navigation service are needed.